MOBILE POST OFFICE ARRIVES in ASHTON! Saturday 3Rd September, Village Fete Day, Is Nearly Here! the Team Really Need Your Help with Various Tasks, E.G
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Summer 2016 Keep in touch with village life at www.ashtonunderhill.org.uk and on www.facebook.com/AshtonunderHillParishCouncil The winner and runner up from the Open Gardens photographic competition More people came to the 2016 Ashton Open Gardens weekend than last year and the event raised just over £5,500 to be distributed in the village. This is a great result given the poor weather forecast and the heavy downpour on the second day. The 40th anniversary Ashton Open Gardens will be held on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th June 2017. More about the weekend on Page 5. MOBILE POST OFFICE ARRIVES IN ASHTON! Saturday 3rd September, Village Fete day, is nearly here! The team really need your help with various tasks, e.g. setting up and taking down; café, stalls, arena events and more. If you can’t help on the day, could A new mobile post office service started in the village you help on the Friday or the Sunday? on 19th July. The mobile van, which has wheelchair access, is located in the Free Church car park every Without you, we will struggle to put on the Tuesday and Thursday between 12:30 and 1:30pm. Biggest and Best fete so far! This is excellent news for residents with mobility or Please, please contact the team (before transport issues who find it difficult to visit other post you go on holiday, if you are!) and THANK offices in the area. Thanks to the Parish Council and YOU in anticipation. Contact details inside. the Free Church committee for helping to achieve this service for the village. More on Pages 6 & 7 Ashton News 2 ASHTON UNDER HILL FIRST SCHOOL “Expect only the best” At the time of writing, it is nearing the end of term and tomorrow the whole school are visiting Stratford upon Avon. We have undertaken some work on Shakespeare to mark the 400th year anniversary since his death, including a drama workshop based on “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” We shall be visiting the theatre for a backstage tour, as well as savouring the sights of the town. We are so fortunate to live in this part of the country with so many amazing places on our doorstep. In May, we were pleased to share a taste of the Ashton countryside with pupils from St Stephen’s C of E School in Redditch and they kindly invited us back and arranged for us to visit their local mosque – all fascinating experiences for the children. It has been an extremely busy term with so many exciting things going on, besides the “normal” lessons. This year we have had a focus on the arts and earlier this term we staged a fantastic art exhibition, featuring work from every pupil. We also held a poetry competition, which is now an annual event in memory of Sonya Grey and this year the silver plate was presented to Seth. We have done particularly well in sport, taking part in several inter- school competitions. Today the children took part in a small schools swimming gala and returned with sombre faces, so that I would predictably declare, “never mind, as long as you tried your best”, whereupon they erupted into ecstatic smiles and declared that they had won! Perhaps the highlight this term was celebrating the Queen’s 90th birthday. Work undertaken in school culminated in a special party with the playground decked out in bunting and picnic tables. Thankfully the weather stayed dry and over two hundred pupils and guests toasted the Queen, played pass the parcel and took part in a royal treasure hunt. To our complete surprise, the “Queen” herself made a royal visit, aka Freya, one of our pupils, and presented her loyal subjects with a commemorative coin. It was followed the next day with Open Gardens when pupils proudly showed around a great number of guests. It was certainly a memorable three days and summed up all that is so special about being a village school at the heart of such a wonderful community. At the end of term I am leaving Ashton. It has been a privilege to be Headteacher at this school and may I take this opportunity to thank everyone for making me feel so welcome. Ashton the village, as well as the school, has felt like home. Mrs Andrea Kirk, our Office Manager, is sadly leaving too and we shall both treasure such special memories of our time here. Mrs Alison Peacey will be the new Headteacher in September and I know that she is very excited about the prospect of becoming an integral part of this wonderful community. Sharon Cole (Headteacher) Ashton News 3 Ashton 88 Football Club – Development Programme Ashton 88 FC have had a be entering in the Birdseye Evesham very busy close of season. Sunday League in September. The club are Behind the scenes the also extremely excited that Ashton will club have been planning enter a junior team into a competitive the long term continuity league for the first time. Ashton 88 have of the club and were successfully awarded ten enthusiastic Under 9s who will a Wychavon Community Grant to support compete on Saturday mornings in the the continuation of the senior football Ambassador Evesham Football League. The team. This will further support the Community Grant has supported the development of a youth football team. purchase of new match day goalposts and line marking equipment for the juniors. We The Community Grant has allowed the club also have an Under 7s team and Under 11s to install new goalposts and purchase squad that train with the Under 9s on a additional equipment to ensure facilities Thursday evening. Anyone interested in are in line with FA regulations and joining should contact Graham on 07725 continue the provision of competitive 909808. football in the village. The club will, again, Ashton 88 Under 9s Ashton 88 Under 9s entered the Bidford Juniors 6 a-side tournament on Saturday 2nd July. It was great for the children to gain valuable match experience. The performances of the team improved considerably game by game. The children showed fantastic determination and great persistence throughout. To top the day off, the children posed with the FA Cup (pictured below). Remember the faces, they may be lifting the same trophy one day at Wembley Stadium. Friends and Neighbours Luncheon Club These sessions have been very enjoyable and well supported since re-starting in April. Many thanks to Luncheon club will continue on the first Margaret Darby and Margaret Satchell for organising them. FRIDAY of every month at 12.30pm in the We meet in the Chapel Hall at 2pm on the last Chapel Hall. We are always pleased to TUESDAY of every month. welcome new visitors, and new helpers. Details of forthcoming meetings: Please contact Joy Barnett on tel 881145 if 30th August: you would like more details. Poetry and Music afternoon with Mollie Groom 27th September: Lynn Satchell 25th October: ‘Travels in a camper van’ with Hazel Padfield HAVE YOU DONE ANY EXTRAORDINARY THINGS? Please contact Joy Barnett on 881145 if you would like more details. Share them with the village! Contact the editor. Ashton News 4 Since opening on 11th April, Little Big Learners is growing from strength to strength. With fantastic premises at The Cricket Pavilion in the village, the children benefit from a homely environment with the added bonus of having access to an outside area that has an endless scope of opportunities for play. We have already expanded the services that are on offer by commencing our first School Holiday Club during the Summer Half Term Holiday. Children took part in a Treasure Hunt, Bug Hunt, Hill Walk and Cooking in an action packed, fun week. We are looking forward to Hide and Seek in the Orchard, Problem Solving Activities, Olympic Themed Fun, Team Games and Hill Walks (amongst lots of other things) during the first two weeks and last two weeks of the School Summer Holidays. We encourage people to book places on any of our School Holiday Clubs as soon as possible to avoid disappointment as this service is proving very popular. Furthermore, After School Club places are booking up for September and there are very limited slots available for Private Maths Tutoring. For more information, or to make bookings, please call Graham on 07725909808, Lisa on 07702702071 or email: [email protected]. Ashton under Hill / Beckford bell ringers (one or two but not a bus load!) The average age of the Ashton under Hill / Beckford bell ringers is now about 65, so in 15 – 20 years from now we may be too infirm and the church bells might fall silent. You may like that or you may miss them. Here in Ashton, the bells have been ringing for well over 250 years to celebrate Sunday services, weddings, funerals and special occasions. It is a unique skill, which may take some time to learn, but which is very rewarding. Our form of ringing is peculiar to Britain for historical reasons; we therefore have over 5,000 rings of bells in the UK like ours and only about 100 in the rest of the world. Being strong or musical is NOT a requirement as we ring by pattern and sequence. However, being available on a Tuesday evening is! So, if you are younger than we are, interested in learning a bit more and willing to support your local band, please contact Nick Hopkins, tel 881711 or 07790 831787. Ashton News 5 Ashton under Hill Open Gardens 2016 www.ashtonopengardens.co.uk More people came to the 2016 Ashton Open Gardens weekend than last year and the event raised just over £5500 to be distributed in the village.